EGYPTIANS HOPE ARAB SUMMIT WILL BRING UNITY, PROSPERITY

CAIRO, Egypt, – Ordinary Egyptians expressed hopes that the Arab Summit, being held in Jordan, would come out with great benefits for the people of the Arab world.

“I hope the Arab leaders gathering now will agree on three things: standing against Iranian intervention in Arab countries, a reconciliation between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and affirming that the Palestinian cause is the core issue of all Arabs,” 44-year-old Ahmed Abbas from Cairo said.

Abbas, who works as an accountant for an Egyptian company, said, the Arab leaders must realise that their peoples are eager for Arab unity and cooperation in all fields, that will lead to peace for the whole region.

The 28th Arab League Summit opened in the Dead Sea, Jordan, on Wednesday, with 22 leaders and representatives of the member states attending the meeting.

The Arab leaders are set to discuss the conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen, as well as the Palestinian issue.

UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, Chairman of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki and U.S. Special Envoy for International Negotiations, Jason Greenblatt are also participating in the one-day summit.

“I hope the Arabs will be united once again,” Mustafa Hegazy, 58, said. “The Arabs are really disunited; this is what the United States wants.”

He mentioned the Joint Arab Military Force, endorsed during the 2015’s summit meeting in Egypt, expressing that the force would see the light soon, to deter the enemies of the Arab nation.

Abdul Rahman Abdullah, 30-year-old from Cairo, urged Arab leaders to make decisions against countries working against the will of the Arab nation, stressing the need to find a quick solution to the Syrian crisis and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

“The Syrian people have been suffering for years, and so do the Palestinians … a two-state solution must be reached and any plans against this solution should be stopped by the Arab leaders,” Abdullah added.

The Arab leaders convened, as their region is facing many challenges, such as the growing terrorism, the internal fights in Syria, Yemen and Libya, as well as, the international attempts to push forward with peace talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

Despite the various crises to be discussed, the leaders and the foreign officials invited to attend the summit highlighted that, the Palestinian cause is the top of issues of all Arab countries.

The United Nations, European Union and leaders of Arab states said that, there was no alternative to the two-state solution, in ending the decades-long conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis.

“The two-state solution is the only path to ensure that Palestinians and Israelis can realise their national aspirations and live in peace, security and dignity,” UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, said, at the ongoing 28th Arab Summit in Jordan.

“There is no Plan B,” said Guterres. “That is why it is important to stop all unilateral actions that can undermine the two-state solution.”

“This is particularly true in relation to the need to stop settlement activities, which are illegal under international law,” the UN chief said.

Federica Mogherini, the high representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, agreed that the two-state solution is the only way to the Palestinian issue, stressing that, no regional power holds the key to peace in the region.

“The two-state solution is the only realistic solution to the conflict,” the EU official said, adding that, “the EU will also work with the United States in that respect.”